Page 42 of Mated in the Stars

“Meanie weenie! F pig!” Minter shook his head.

“He’s not a pig,” I whispered. “He’s a doctor.”

“F pig. Mean like the F pig.”

“Awww, baby,” I hugged him again. “I’m sorry the medicine made an owie.”

“Mean F pig. Gonna tell Teddy.”

I let out a long, slow breath. What Minter didn’t know yet was that his brother was still asleep. His passing out when the situation was beyond his ability to repair or process proved more than ever that he was my egg brat. He was still out cold at Sunny and Laken’s house. I offered to bring him here, but Sunny wouldn’t hear of it. I planned to check one more time to see if he’d wake up before we headed to Earthside. His siblings wouldn’t be thrilled with him but everyone dealt with grief in their own way.

While I soothed my baby, Izora gave Nelum a sonic. It lit up again. My heart skipped a beat. This was a good thing. A perfect thing, in fact. Nelum’s energy turned anxious, and Elio passed Baby Amaranth off to me too. I held both my kids and Minter kissed his baby brother’s forehead so gently.

Nelum rambled off pregnancy questions at Izora and the other doctor whose name I couldn’t remember. I could’ve answered allthose questions myself but hearing the answers from the healers made him relax. I mentally ticked off my kids. Duke, Teddy, Daliah, Sequin, Minter, Amaranth, and now our newest egg. Even if the egg was technically Elio and Nelum’s, which it had a good chance of being, that hatchling was still as much mine as theirs.

That afternoon while my mates and Baby Amaranth took a nap, Minter and I went to check on Teddy one more time. He was stretched flat on his stomach with his arms tucked up under his head. I rubbed circles on his back like I did when I tried to wake him up when he was a kid. He didn’t even stir. Minter frowned and looked up at me with big eyes.

“Sad sleep,” he said.

“Sad sleep,” I nodded. “He’s probably going to stay here while we visit away, buddy.”

“Me sorry,” he frowned deeper.

“He’ll be okay and he’s not sad because of you.”

“Mummy’s gone,” Minter nodded.

“That she is,” I said and kissed his cheek.

“We bring back presents,” he grinned.

“We most definitely will bring him back a present, kiddo.”

Chapter Twenty-Four

Nelum

It felt selfish to delay our trip to Earthside because of my pregnancy but I needed time to process. I cringed every time I thought about it over the next few days and prayed that none of Freddie’s kids put anything big together that had to be shuffled around at the last minute. The last thing I wanted to do was cause them more problems. I shouldn’t have worried so much. It couldn’t be good for my egg, but it was what it was.

“Are you okay?” Fred asked one morning when I walked into the kitchen.

Minter was already awake and chewing on tiny pieces of sausage. Stuff pig skin as they called it over here.

“I am. I haven’t had any symptoms even and I haven’t changed my mind about having a baby either, if that’s what you’re worried about, Freddie,” I said, sitting down on his leg and resting my head in the crook of his neck on the side of my claiming bite.

“We don’t have to go to Earthside at all if you don’t feel up to it.”

“But I do. At least, I will. I still want to do all that. We even planned for things to go down like this.”

“I know but plans can be changed. Your feeling safe is the important thing. If that means staying here or going to your parents’ farm or whatever. If that’s what needs to happen, we’ll make it happen, mate.”

“I want to go to Earthside. I want to pull whatever loose strings I need to before our baby hatches. Then I want to come home and raise our kids and live my life as me. I’m lucky when you think about it. Most people don’t get to leave messages fortheir next reincarnation. I did. It’d be ungrateful of me not to go check them out and see what’s up with it all.”

I moved to straddle his legs and wrap my arms around his neck. He held onto me for a long moment. Gods, I loved this dragon. I loved my life here with him and Elio.

“Sad?” Minter asked.

“Tired,” I said.

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